Arsenal should avoid trying to appoint Carlo Ancelotti as the permanent successor to Unai Emery, according to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
The Gunners were taught a thorough lesson by reigning champions Manchester City on Sunday, with Pep Guardiola’s side running out comfortable 3-0 winners and leaving Arsenal with a stark reminder of all their ongoing struggles.
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After the match, interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg called on the Gunners’ board to act quickly to resolve their managerial uncertainty, saying: “I’ve said to [the board] they need to make a decision.
“We are here to help and the staff are trying to chip in but a decision has to be made so we can have the same resources as other clubs.
“When I say that they that say I have to wait and see.”
And the situation at Arsenal and their delay in naming a permanent successor to Emery provoked a debate in the Sky Sports studios after the match, with presenter David Jones comparing the Gunners’ situation to that at Tottenham, who sacked Mauricio Pochettino at a similar time but then appointed Jose Mourinho as his successor less than 12 hours later.
Jones asked Bacary Sagna whom he would like to see given the job, to which the former Gunners full-back namechecked Ancelotti, who was sacked by Napoli earlier this month after a surprise loss of form at the Italian giants.
However, Carragher believes a move for the Italian would be a bad fit for Arsenal, explaining: “I don’t agree with Ancelotti.
“I think Ancelotti makes very good teams even better and takes them this next step. This is a big job. This is a rebuilding job. I don’t think Ancelotti has ever really been into clubs before and taken a group of players like this. He’s always gone to top teams where it’s more about man-management and getting the best out of real top players, getting them onside.
“I think a lot more is needed here – this is a rebuilding job.”
Sky Sports have since named Manchester City assistant Mikel Arteta as ‘the leading candidate’ for the role.
Kaveh Solhekol says the club are looking to make a permanent appointment before the end of the month, and that ‘the Arsenal board are looking for someone who knows the club, knows the Premier League and is available to take over immediately.’
They soon downgrade Arteta to ‘one of the leading candidates’, which is a bit naughty.
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Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham was pictured leaving Arteta’s mansion in the early hours of Monday morning, further fuelling the speculation.